I set out to visit Senators Snowe and Collins's offices in Biddeford, Maine this afternoon to clarify their positions on healthcare and reform.
It was a scorcher of a day, relatively speaking, and the fact that Senator Snowe's staff was out meant that a visit to them will have to wait until another day.
Biddeford is an old mill town on the Saco River. There are empty storefronts on Main Street, and some of what there is looks run down. The population is strongly union and Democratic.
I was hoping to ask a few simple questions that I had brought, like:
- Is there a health care crisis?
- If so, what are the problems that need to be addressed?
- What should be done about these problems?
- What is the Senator doing about these problems?
Unfortunately, there is not a lot to say about her position. She doesn't seem to have one. Unlike other issues which we did get to discuss, such as her weight limit pilot project, her staffers appear to be under orders not to discuss her position on health care, except to say that she is opposed to public option or single payer.
The staffer did print me up an untitled document that is supposed to be her position statement. It doesn't say a whole lot. There are some false Republican talking points in there from the Lewin group, which is described as "non-partisan". But to spare me retyping it (mostly because it doesn't say much), I will just summarize it for you here.
The only problem is cost, and somebody should do something about it. Someone else. And not now.
If you really want to read it for yourself, this thumbnail links to a full-sized image.
So when I tried to ask questions about some point in the document (like, "She says costs should be brought down, but she doesn't seem to have any plan or recommendation for doing so."), the staffer just said I was misinterpreting what was in the statement.
He was rather uncomfortable when I asked if her plan was for me to wait until I was eligible for Medicare. I reminded him that 17 years ago, Republicans ended the last reform effort, and in 17 years I will certainly be on Medicare, provided I live that long.
Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I see no proposals whatever in this.
She has always wanted to have it both ways, making herself appear to be a moderate while voting Republican down the line. I suspect her constituents would not be docile and accepting if she were to give a town hall meeting to try to explain her position on this issue in this town.